Fort Lerran
Trundling back and forth between the Naruvan Wastes and the Alkair Expanse is Fort Lerran, a powerful symbol of technology and military dominance since long before the Armageddon Wars. An immense sandcrawler that could be likened to a small city in and of itself, Lerran and mobile fortresses like it once struck fear into the hearts of ground armies and their air support. Armed with enough firepower to level entire cities within a matter of hours, these gigantic war machines were the unquestioned kings of the battlefield beyond Telo-Haljr's walls, forcing the mega-city's enemies to invade via orbital drop pods and naval vessels. Each of these massive fortresses was almost entirely self-sufficient, producing their own fuel, ammunition, and food in specially designed compartments located deep within their super-structures. The only things they were not capable of producing were spare parts, which ultimately led to their abandonment during the course of the Wars, as parts wore out and replacements could not be gotten from the mega-city due to enemy interference. Most of these abandoned titans would become infested with colonies of Rust Monsters, reducing them to little more than enormous husks standing alone in the deserts and plains, slowly wasting away from the passage of time. Fort Lerran however did not suffer such a fate. Unlike its sister fortresses, Lerran was abandoned relatively close to Telo-Haljr, and the Rust Monsters that would have otherwise infested it were beaten back by other creatures eager to inhabit it. Before it was taken by the Enforcer's Guild, Fort Lerran had served as a home for a number of raiding clans, nomadic tauric creatures, and tribes of wild Goblinoids. Using parts cannibalized from other Forts or imported from the SSK, the Enforcers were able to get a handful of the Lerran's critical navigational and communications systems online. Everything else being either too worn out or broken, they'd tear out whatever wasn't working and send it off for recycling, replacing whatever was removed with more primitive and simplistic equipment or weaponry. Today, Fort Lerran is a military asset in name only; it's just too slow to be used in a fight. If by some chance it arrives on a battlefield it can and will dominate it, but it's far more important and useful as a communications hub, using its mobility to change positions and link up with orbiting satellites to provide a strong wireless signal for the entire Amerosian continent. If inclement weather threatens to destabilize its connections, it just moves to someplace with clearer skies. While technically controlled, operated, and protected by the Enforcer's Guild, it has become a miniaturized reflection of Paradise City itself, with the Enforcer's maintaining official power and members of various factions from the City performing all the necessary technical work to keep it running smoothly. Similarly, the representatives of the City's organizations vie for power constantly for control of the Fort, much to the aggravation of the Enforcers. Those who wish to wrest power and influence over the Fort must not only gain the permission of the Enforcers, but also receive regular resupply from their superiors in the City proper- supplies which can easily be sabotaged or captured by their enemies- and any rulings handed down by the Enforcers must be adhered to regarding contests for dominance. Often, these contests are simply matters; the Chief Enforcer will lay down simple rules for various tests of strength, skill, or intelligence, and to the victor go the spoils. However, since the Chief Enforcer has almost dictatorial power over the Fort, he or she may devise and implement any sort of rules and contests they can imagine. If the Chief is feeling particularly sadistic, this can mean bloody pit-fights under harsh or unusual conditions, or the imposition of comically ridiculous rules. The most notorious recorded instance of this potential power abuse comes from midsummer 1829 S.V., when Chief Enforcer Adella Lafayette made the Candymen and the Brethren of Rum and Blood fight for control of the Fort in revealing swimwear, using foam bats, in the middle of a magically created snowfield. Back to Alkair Expanse Back to Main Page